Scientists have taken a significant leap forward in understanding the complex ways that molecules work together in cells. The work of the Structural & Computational Programme at EMBL-Heidelberg, in collaboration with Cellzome AG, appears in the current issue of the journal Science (March 26, 2004).
Although scientists already know a lot about single molecules, they know very little about how they are assembled into larger molecular complexes or “machines” and how these machines work together
Researchers at EMBL publish breakthrough studies that could lead to a new means of combating the deadly disease
EMBL scientists have identified four mosquito proteins that affect the ability of the malaria parasite (Plasmodium) to survive and develop in the malaria-carrier mosquito (Anopheles). This breakthrough, featured in recent issues of Cell (March 5, 2004) and Science (March 26, 2004), could be used to block the transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans.
“Many r
Football stadiums and museums may not have much in common, but for two IST projects, EVENTS and VISIRE, they are the perfect testing grounds for computer vision technologies that have the potential to change key areas of visual media forever.
Coordinated by Eptron in Spain, the groundbreaking initiatives have resulted in two state-of-the-art computer vision applications that far surpass anything currently available on the market. “EVENTS is an image interpolation system that creates multi-v
The development of new types of artificial materials, known as “metamaterials” and with electromagnetic properties not found in nature, is the aim of the Metamorphose Excellence European Network, of which the Public University of Navarre forms part, together with twenty-one other research institutions from 13 European countries.
Perfect plane lenses
Metamaterials are electromagnetic and multifunctional artificial materials, created in order to comply with certain specificati
A new study finds that the olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) exhibit activity-dependent survival, a property that may be critical for an animal’s ability to maximize and retain responsiveness to crucial odorants in its environment. The research, published in the March 25 issue of Neuron, finds that a molecular signaling pathway linked to neuronal survival in the central nervous system plays a significant role in odor-induced enhancement of olfactory cell survival.
It is well known that
It is relatively common to hear an object described as being “bigger than a breadbox,” and most people have little trouble making this type of comparative judgment. However, how the human brain makes such comparisons based on continuous quantities is quite complex and not completely understood. Now, a new research study published in the March 25 issue of Neuron provides significant new information about how the brain interprets spatial and nonspatial sensory information to make comparative judgments
First protein difference between humans and primates that correlates to anatomical changes in early hominid fossil record
In an effort to find the remaining genes that govern myosin–the major contractile protein that makes up muscle tissue–researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have made a discovery that may be central to answering key questions about human evolution.
Published in the March 25 issue of Nature, Penn researchers have found one small
Like spiders spinning webs, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are creating complex, three-dimensional structures with micron-size features using a robotic deposition process called direct-write assembly.
As reported in the March 25 issue of the journal Nature, Jennifer Lewis and her research team have developed novel inks that readily flow through micro-capillary nozzles and then rapidly solidify to retain their shape. Patterning such fine structures could be use
Self-cleaning hydrogen sensors may soon join the ranks of self-cleaning ovens, self-cleaning windows and self-cleaning public toilets, according to Penn State researchers.
“The photocatalytic properties of titania nanotubes are so large — a factor of 100 times greater than any other form of titania — that sensor contaminants are efficiently removed with exposure to ultraviolet light, so that the sensors effectively recover or retain their original hydrogen sensitivity in real world applic
A federal ban on two insecticides has resulted in a significant reduction in their impact on newborns’ birth weight and length, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other private foundations.
The results of the study – the first one to demonstrate the benefits of the ban during pregnancy in human subjects – will be published in Environmental Health P
Resource should greatly speed gene analysis and discovery
Researchers have produced vast libraries of short segments of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that can be used to turn off individual human and mouse genes to study their function.
The libraries will be made widely available to laboratories studying human biology and disease. The researchers are optimistic that the libraries will become a powerful research tool for gene analysis and discovery.
Two independent research gro
Initial vaccine tested in model looks promising
An experimental plague vaccine proved 100 percent effective when tested in a new mouse model for plague infection developed by scientists at Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health. The scientists developed their model to mimic the natural transmission route of bubonic plague through the bites of infected fleas. The flea-to-mouse mod
While climate may be impacted by carbon dioxide emissions, aerosols and other factors, a new study offers further evidence land surface changes may also play a significant role.
The study of summer climate in the United States reported changes in land cover, particularly vegetation, have impacted regional temperatures and precipitation. The study used data and computer models from NASA and other organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“The
Scientists discover a method to detect trace levels of swine antibiotics in the groundwater.
Scientists from the Department of Soil, Water, & Climate at University of Minnesota have developed a simple method to quantify two types of antibiotics in animal manures, and surface and ground waters. Chlortetracycline and tylosin antibiotics are commonly used for growth promotion in swine production.
In general, as much as 90% of antibiotics fed to food animals are excreted unchang
Findings offer clearer view of how to detect unseen matter in the universe
Astrophysicist Heidi Newberg at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her colleagues suggest that a “highway” of dark matter from another galaxy may be showering down on Earth. The findings may change the way astronomers look for mysterious cosmic particles, long suspected to outweigh known atomic matter.
The findings of Newberg and researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Utah h
Texas A&M University researchers are studying the genes of the mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, the carrier for both dengue and yellow fever, hoping to keep deadly mosquito-borne diseases at bay.
Dr. Patricia Pietrantonio, associate professor of entomology with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, is leading a team of researchers studying the hormone-controlled mechanism by which mosquitoes excrete waste.
“This research has far-reaching implications for the discovery of new
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